Wait a minute… what is Greg doing writing this Week in Review post? Isn’t that Nick’s job? Why yes it is… usually. But last weekend, Nick’s wife celebrated Labor Day weekend by going into labor. And… it’s a boy! Nick is taking off the month of September to kick back and enjoy the relaxation that inevitably comes with a newborn baby. So, until we get Nick’s first son spun up on the intricacies of blogging, Stephen and I are doing our best to keep the FM wheels in motion.
Fortunately for us, Nick dropped by work for an hour or so to record the latest episode of Frequent Miler on the Air. This episode’s main event is Hyatt’s amazing fourth quarter promotion. Of course, we also dipped into the giant mailbag, covered Citi’s latest shenanigans, evaluated a mattress run opportunity, roasted posts, and bantered about whatever came to mind. Watch it here:
FM on the Air Podcast
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This week at Frequent Miler
Chase Sapphire: What’s Next? (On My Mind)
Now that Chase is serving up awesome 3X and 5X categories for their fee-free Freedom cards, the Sapphire Preferred card is looking old and tired with its 2X travel and dining. Even the Sapphire Reserve card has lost its luster with 3X travel and dining. This is especially true since the new Freedom categories overlap with the Sapphire ones. With the Freedom Unlimited or new Freedom Flex, you can get 5X travel (booked through Chase) and 3X dining. And they threw in 3X drugstore for good measure. That’s a problem for the Sapphire lineup. In this article I give my best advice to Chase as to what they should do to refresh their Sapphire cards.
Click here to read the full article.
How to earn airline elite status without flying
American Airlines is going to make basic economy a better experience for elite members, but they’re going to stop counting basic economy towards gaining elite status. In this post, I consider the possibility that Delta and United will follow AA’s lead. If so, it will be more valuable than ever before to earn elite status without flying, so that you can enjoy perks when you do… even when flying basic economy.
Click here to read the full article.
Best ways to fly to Hawaii from the US mainland
Motivated by the news that United plans to add flights between the continental US and Hawaii, Africa, and India, I decided that it was time to update this post which details the best ways to book flights to Hawaii with miles or with cash. Book now. Travel later.
Click here to read the full article.
Hilton Credit Card Comparison. Which is best?
Amex issues four different Hilton cards and they often have great welcome bonuses. Are any of them worth keeping? In this post I looked at the cards side by side to determine which is best.
Click here to read the full article.
Updated resources
- Pay taxes via credit card 2020 edition (Q3 estimated taxes due 9/15)
- Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide 2020
- Airlines eliminate change fees: Quick reference chart
The deal of the week
Hyatt has served up three overlapping deals. All three are noteworthy on their own, but they’re even better together:
- Hyatt Launching Excellent New Promo: 3x-4x Points Plus Double Elite Nights (But In An Unexpected Way)
- Hyatt Offering Up To 25% Points Rebate On Award Nights + Free Parking & Dining Bonus Points (extended through 1/4/21)
- 2-for-1 Miraval offer & stacking with 25% back
More noteworthy deals
- Overlapping Best Western deals:
- Bonvoy Brilliant: Spend $1,000 Get $100 (stacks with 10X offers!)
- Amazon: Spend $100 (or $50), Get $10 Back, 2 Times (Targeted Amex Offer)
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Congraz to Nick and your wife. The first thing I think of is “Is Conrad’s younger brother St. Regis?”
That was literally my first response when Nick told me that his wife was pregnant. He didn’t take my sage advice
Congratulations to Nick and the whole Reyes family!
Congratulations Reyes family!!! Hang in there with sleepless nights!
Congratulations a future Yacht club member I hope.
#stayincave
Congratulations to Nick and family!
Congratulations Nick and family!
Congratulations to the Reyes family!